'''Q.''' I'm aware of ALA's reading lists for children and teens. But what about books for adult patrons? Does ALA have any reading lists or suggested books for adults?

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ALA produces several reading lists for adults and is closely affiliated with several awards for adult literature.

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=RUSA (Reference and User Services Association, a division of ALA)=

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==Notable Books==

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ALA's Reference and User Services Association ([http://www.ala.org/rusa RUSA, a division of ALA]) first compiled its [http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/notablebooks annual Notable Books list] in 1944. The RUSA Notable Books Council selections usually include Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry titles.

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'''A.''' ALA produces several reading lists for adults. ALA's Reference and User Services Association ([http://www.ala.org/rusa RUSA, a division of ALA]) first compiled its annual Notable Books list in 1944. The RUSA Notable Books Council recently released its 2008 list of outstanding books for the general reader, dubbed "[http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=news&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=171744 The List for America's Readers]," which includes Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry titles. Also, RUSA's Collection Development and Evaluation Section ([http://www.ala.org/rusa/codes CODES]) just last year established the Reading List Council, which seeks to highlight outstanding genre fiction that merits special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them. The inaugural juried list, which features established voices and debut novelists and suggests titles that will thrill avid fans and entice new readers, includes books in eight different categories: adrenaline titles which include suspense, thrillers, and action adventure; Fantasy; Historical Fiction; Horror; Mystery; Romance; Science Fiction; and Women’s Fiction.

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ALA's Booklist magazine compiles a Editors' Choice list every year, including one for books for adults. In compiling the [http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&pid=2444576 Booklist Editors’ Choice: Adult Books, 2007], the Adult Books editors have selected titles as representative of the year's outstanding books for public-library collections. Their scope has been intentionally broad, and they have attempted to find books that combine literary, intellectual, and aesthetic excellence with popular appeal.

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==The Reading List==

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RUSA's Collection Development and Evaluation Section ([http://www.ala.org/rusa/codes CODES]) established The Reading List Council, which seeks to highlight outstanding genre fiction that merits special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them. [http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/readinglist The Reading List], a juried compilation, features established voices and debut novelists and suggests titles that will thrill avid fans and entice new readers, includes books in eight different categories: adrenaline titles which include suspense, thrillers, and action adventure; Fantasy; Historical Fiction; Horror; Mystery; Romance; Science Fiction; and Women's Fiction.

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RUSA administers the [http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/protools/sophiebrodyaward/sbrodymedal.cfm Sophie Brody Medal], a relatively new award for distinguished contribution to Jewish literature for adults.

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ALA's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Round Table (GLBTRT) announced the winners of the [http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=news&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=170826 2008 Stonewall Book Awards], which recognizes books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience, in both literature and nonfiction categories.

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==Sophie Brody Medal==

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RUSA administers the [http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/brody Sophie Brody Medal], a relatively new award for distinguished contribution to Jewish literature for adults.

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The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) announced the winners of the [http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=news&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=170827 2008 BCALA Literary Awards], which recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African American authors published in 2007, including the work of a first novelist and a citation for Outstanding Contribution to Publishing.

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==Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction==

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RUSA cosponsors with ''Booklist'' magazine the [http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/carnegieadult Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction & Nonfiction], established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year, and made possible by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York on the occasion of the foundation's centennial and in recognition of Andrew Carnegie's deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world.

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=''Booklist'' Editor's Choice: Adult Books=

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ALA's [http://www.booklistonline.com ''Booklist''] magazine compiles an Editors' Choice list every year, including [http://www.booklistonline.com/awards Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books], which are representative of outstanding books for public library collections. The scope has been intentionally broad; they have attempted to find books that combine literary, intellectual, and aesthetic excellence with popular appeal.

The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association ([http://www.apalaweb.org APALA]) sponsor the [http://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards/past-literature-award-winners Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature], which recognize titles that promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage.

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=BCALA (Black Caucus of the American Library Association)Literary Awards=

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The Black Caucus of the American Library Association ([http://www.bcala.org BCALA]) sponsor the [http://bcala.org/awards/literary.htm BCALA Literary Awards], which recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African American authors, including the work of a first novelist and a citation for Outstanding Contribution to Publishing.

The Reading List

RUSA's Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) established The Reading List Council, which seeks to highlight outstanding genre fiction that merits special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them. The Reading List, a juried compilation, features established voices and debut novelists and suggests titles that will thrill avid fans and entice new readers, includes books in eight different categories: adrenaline titles which include suspense, thrillers, and action adventure; Fantasy; Historical Fiction; Horror; Mystery; Romance; Science Fiction; and Women's Fiction.

Sophie Brody Medal

RUSA administers the Sophie Brody Medal, a relatively new award for distinguished contribution to Jewish literature for adults.

Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction

RUSA cosponsors with Booklist magazine the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction & Nonfiction, established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year, and made possible by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York on the occasion of the foundation's centennial and in recognition of Andrew Carnegie's deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world.

Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books

ALA's Booklist magazine compiles an Editors' Choice list every year, including Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books, which are representative of outstanding books for public library collections. The scope has been intentionally broad; they have attempted to find books that combine literary, intellectual, and aesthetic excellence with popular appeal.

Stonewall Book Awards

ALA's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) sponsor the Stonewall Book Awards, which recognize books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience, in both literature and nonfiction categories.

Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature

BCALA (Black Caucus of the American Library Association)Literary Awards

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) sponsor the BCALA Literary Awards, which recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African American authors, including the work of a first novelist and a citation for Outstanding Contribution to Publishing.